OK, from reading between the lines on both posts I gather that a trading post will increase trade but adding a port to a trading post province without a naval link will not (directly). I also take that there is no trade bonus for trading with allies and that if they are at war and their enemy blockades their ports, my trade suffers too. I assumed (apparently correctly) that a lot of things going unreported (natural disasters, etc in far off lands) greatly affects my trade.

Quote Originally Posted by caravel: Not really, all an inquisition does is raise zeal to a very high level before the inquisitors go berserk, then zeal drops again drastically. This makes inquisitors zeal raising capabilities a double edged sword. The only economic effects would be if an inquisitor took it upon himself to try one of your governors - thus leaving the province ungoverned and bereft of the additional income bonuses which his governorship produces (high acumen increases tax income/productivity).
Quote by Drone: Isn't there a correlation between zeal and the governor's piety? I was under the impression that a province's happiness will drop when a low piety governor runs a high zeal province, which might affect tax-rate depending on the garrison strength.

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That's what I thought too - but wasn't sure if it was significant. The inquisition helps me as much as not as it targets lords with flaws and lower zeal means less losses to crusades. It does knock down trade for a year those as Caravel noted and that's a bummer.

Poland in high seems to be more affected then others I've played (so far) and those hordes from the east hit them before a solid economy can be built. Makes for an interesting problem.